Balaam, Prophet For Hire

The soothsayer profession is sketchy
Unless otherwise commissioned by God.
Enter diviner Balaam and his donkey
Dispatched on a task with the pet well-shod.

God decreed he prophesy a blessing
On Israel with no payment involved.
But this seer set about finessing
The Moab king and cinch sequent windfall.

King Balak wanted his enemies cursed
And, Balaam, eager and game to oblige,
Readied his steed and mercenary purse
And departed to gain riches - hopes high.

Balaam was warned by God to deliver
No curse but only words He commanded.
The false propheteer's nuanced jaw-gibber
Put him at odds with what God demanded.

As Balaam approached his Moabite marks,
A sworded angel stepped into his path.
Blinded by loot and not spir'tually sharp,
He was donkey-detoured then filled with wrath.

Beaten three times while trying to prevent
His master's mass from taking a bruising,
The donkey spoke with a mulish accent,
"Why did you beat me? It's so abusing!"

Balaam exclaimed, "You've made a fool of me!"
In fast defense of the beast of burden,
The angel explained, "I had to intervene,
'Else this sword would've killed you for certain!"

'Ere long the shyster- greedy, undeterred,
Repeats a speech with a wink and a nod
And prays Balak accepts verbose, harsh words
Because the prophet planned full money fraud.

Then, Balaam act'ly pronounced a blessing
On Isr'el, for God nulled his pagan thoughts.
How did this broke seer end up regressing?
God saddled him with a donkey who talks.